HAMLET — A convicted felon released from prison less than a month ago is wanted by two police departments for crimes committed earlier this month.
The Hamlet Police Department has two outstanding warrants for 24-year-old Stephon Jewlton Easterling, of Buttercup drive on larceny charges.
According to police, Easterling attempted to use a stolen debit card to purchase two cartons of Newport cigarettes from the Alco Store No. 13 in Hamlet on Aug. 4 - before stealing them.
Easterling is also accused of stealing two cartons from the Alco Store #36 in Hamlet the previous day.
According to the Rockingham Police Department, Easterling stole a 2016 Nissan Altima from the parking lot of the Economy Motel.
Inside the car were the owner’s key fob with a bottle opener, wallet, suitcase, cash, cellphone, social security card, insurance card, driver’s license, and debit card.
That debit card is the one investigators say Easterling tried to use to buy cigarettes.
Easterling has been charged with larceny of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen motor vehicle and misdemeanor larceny by the RPD; and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, attempting to obtain property by false pretenses and two counts of misdemeanor larceny by the HPD.
Investigators say Easterling is known to hang out around Buttercup Drive and Spring Street.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call the Hamlet Police Department at 910-582-2551, Rockingham Police Department at 910-895-2468 or Richmond County Crime Stoppers at 910-997-5454.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Easterling was released from prison July 17 after serving five months for larceny from the person and breaking and entering vehicles, according to records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction.
His parole is set to expire April 12.
Records show Easterling was first convicted of misdemeanor breaking and entering and larceny in 2012.
In March 2016, he was convicted of obtaining property by false pretenses and possession of a controlled substance from crimes committed to years prior. In May, Easterling was convicted of breaking and entering, larceny and larceny after breaking and entering.
His probation on those charges was revoked in June and Easterling spent the next six months behind bars. During that time, he was also convicted of assault inflicting serious injury for an incident that occurred four days before he was locked up, records show.
Easterling went back to prison twice on violations during 2017.
